Young La Grande mother suffers sudden cardiac arrest

Published 11:00 am Friday, July 22, 2022

LA GRANDE — A La Grande woman, Vanessa Durfee, 26, the daughter of Sharee Henderson and Ed Durfee of Elgin, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at her residence on Sunday, July 17.

Her 6-year-old daughter found her unresponsive and alerted Vanessa’s partner, Troy Jones, who immediately called 9-1-1 for emergency medical assistance. According to her aunt, Sandra Roda, Durfee was intubated and admitted July 17 to the intensive care unit at Grande Ronde Hospital, where she has undergone tests to determine the cause of her condition. To date no medical reason can be ascertained.

“The doctors have done all the testing they can do, and there’s no explained reason why Vanessa had a sudden cardiac arrest,” Roda said. “They performed a drug screening, and it was negative, so there’s no known reason for this. We’re also unsure how long she was without oxygen. She might have gone without oxygen for up to 20 minutes. Right now, she’s sedated and has some major brain swelling due to the time she was without oxygen.”

The physicians will be reevaluating Durfee’s condition on July 23, said Roda, who works as a neurological trauma nurse in ICU at the Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

Durfee is a graduate of Elgin High School and is currently a stay-at-home mother of two daughters, ages 6 and 1. The family has established a GoFundMe account to help the young family with the costs related to her medical emergency and her absence from home.

“As a long-time resident of the community, anything the community can give her would be extremely beneficial,” Roda said.

To make a donation to help Vanessa Durfee, see https://gofund.me/0aa91a02